© E. Žaldario
Between the matches with the champions of Bulgaria, "Žalgiris" team will need to pay attention to the Lithuanian championship as well. On Sunday evening, they will face a match with the "Jonava" team, which has significantly changed since their previous encounters and now has familiar faces. This season, "Žalgiris" has constantly had to compete against teams that have already changed their coaches, and this time will be no exception. Just like against "Riteriai", in the third encounter against "Jonava", Vladimir Čeburin's opponent will be yet another strategist. At the beginning of the season, the team was led by Eisvinas Utyra, in April it was the Ukrainian Yevhen Lutsenko at the helm, and now the team is coached by another Ukrainian specialist, Petro Kušķylkas. The first two encounters "Žalgiris" won easily - 6:0 in the first game of the season, and 5:0 in the second game in Jonava. However, since then, not only the coaches of the underdog teams have changed, but also the whole team fundamentally. The most changes occurred in July. Among Jonava players, only the veterans Tadas Eliošius, Artūras Rocys, and Lukas Čepkauskas remain. The rest of the players either left the team or parted ways with them. Now the foundation of "Jonava" consists of foreign players from Ukraine, Argentina, and there is also a player from Nigeria. The team has also been supplemented by three loaned players - Nojus Stankevičius and Gabrielis Nikonovas, who represented "Žalgiris B" for 20 years and 19 years respectively, and Juozas Lubas from "Riteriai". When asked about the "Jonava" team, their newcomer N. Stankevičius stated that the face of the team has essentially changed: "A new, truly dedicated to his work, very experienced coach arrived. Several players arrived, several left. Some of them are experienced, tasted high-level football, as well as motivated young players. At the moment, the team has a really good mix of young and experienced players." According to him, the biggest challenge was communication. "After all, we are from different countries, speaking different languages. However, the further we go, the more we understand each other. Yes, so far the results are not good, but the game itself, its quality, intensity, have significantly improved," N. Stankevičius said. He claimed that adapting to the team was not difficult. "I knew what I was coming here for and just started working. It also helped me adapt that I did not travel here alone, but together with my teammate Gabrielis, with whom I have been playing together for a long time." The fact that in recent years "Jonava" has begun to resemble a team that can make opponents sweat, rather than being ruthlessly defeated, is also shown by their results. Against "Hegelmann" and "Kauno Žalgiris" Jonava team lost with a minimum advantage 0:1 and 1:2, but had opportunities to equalize at the end of the matches. Against Telšiai, "Jonava" was trailing 0:2, but in the end of the match scored twice and took the second point of the season. In the "Hegelmann LFF Cup" quarterfinals, "Jonava" lost 0:2 to the same "Hegelmann" team. Two Žalgiris players who made their debut in the "Optibet A Lyga" also contributed to the team's progress. N. Stankevičius played four matches without substitutions, and twice he was appointed as captain. G. Nikonovas managed to play in two matches. "The feeling of making a debut was great, especially when I waited for it for so long. But the most important thing is not the debut itself, but that I was ready for it," emphasized N. Stankevičius. "Being appointed captain twice gave me good emotions, but most importantly, it shows the coach's trust in me, which is very important for me as a young player." Unlike him, his teammate G. Nikonov was sidelined in a new team due to a serious injury. In the Telšiai match, he injured his elbow. "Of course, Gabriel was upset after the injury, but I think he understands that injuries are part of football, and you can't avoid them. At the moment, his arm is in a cast. He didn't need surgery. As soon as the cast is removed, he will start rehabilitation. I wish him to return to the field stronger, both psychologically and physically," said N. Stankevičius. The "Žalgiris" and "Jonava" matches will take place on August 21 (Sunday) from 19:00.
